For all intents and purposes, I find that we have the opposite of autism, as instead of having trouble understanding the world around us, it is that our senses are truly overloaded by it, henceforth why we are classified as what we are. That is not to say that autism and aspergers syndrome don't have distinct similarities, but generally (and this is from personal experience) I find that we are quite different from both normal people and autism spectrum afflicted people. To start, the reason why we have distinct similiarities to autism disorder afflicted persons is that we tend to be less expressive than the average person, usually acting less like a normal person when in thought or idly attempting to make conversation. However, a distinct difference is that where autism spectrum afflicted people find it troublesome to associate with others and form understandable thoughts, we can do it just as proficiently as others, albiet with difficulties as well, stemming less from the fact that we can't and more towards the fact that we don't know how to. Generally, the average person has an inborn tendancy to associate a certain way with others, which is a trait we lack even when in our early stages we learn how to converse and communicate. Now, onto what psychology calls a "regular human." Generally, we are different emotionally from baseline humans in that we might be less reactionary than them or we might go emotionally overboard, truly bordering on less of a controlled outburst and more of a psychotic emotional fit. That is not to say that we feel emotion any differently, more that we cannot sufficiently express that emotion on the spot with any normal method of showing it. I apologize for the rant, but being one affected by such a condition, under no circumstances is it to be assumed that we are exactly the same.

Oh, and to add this in the footnotes, don't bother to shame me for distancing the two disorders, this is my take on it as a person afflicted, so if one is truly going to make some sort of counter-argument as to the sameness of the two conditions, please have some sort of experience in the field. I apologize if I come off as blunt, but I am currently in an emotionally neutral state, meaning that my text will literally portray no emotion and will sound like a textbook.

Personally I think your explanation is really good. I think some times people find comfort in names and labels and lose sight in the fact that there are spectrums of everything.
You explained things really well, it's yiur experience, and opened my eyes a bit

For all intents and purposes, I find that we have the opposite of autism, as instead of having trouble understanding the world around us, it is that our senses are truly overloaded by it, henceforth why we are classified as what we are. That is not to say that autism and aspergers syndrome don't have distinct similarities, but generally (and this is from personal experience) I find that we are quite different from both normal people and autism spectrum afflicted people. To start, the reason why we have distinct similiarities to autism disorder afflicted persons is that we tend to be less expressive than the average person, usually acting less like a normal person when in thought or idly attempting to make conversation. However, a distinct difference is that where autism spectrum afflicted people find it troublesome to associate with others and form understandable thoughts, we can do it just as proficiently as others, albiet with difficulties as well, stemming less from the fact that we can't and more towards the fact that we don't know how to. Generally, the average person has an inborn tendancy to associate a certain way with others, which is a trait we lack even when in our early stages we learn how to converse and communicate. Now, onto what psychology calls a "regular human." Generally, we are different emotionally from baseline humans in that we might be less reactionary than them or we might go emotionally overboard, truly bordering on less of a controlled outburst and more of a psychotic emotional fit. That is not to say that we feel emotion any differently, more that we cannot sufficiently express that emotion on the spot with any normal method of showing it. I apologize for the rant, but being one affected by such a condition, under no circumstances is it to be assumed that we are exactly the same.

Oh, and to add this in the footnotes, don't bother to shame me for distancing the two disorders, this is my take on it as a person afflicted, so if one is truly going to make some sort of counter-argument as to the sameness of the two conditions, please have some sort of experience in the field. I apologize if I come off as blunt, but I am currently in an emotionally neutral state, meaning that my text will literally portray no emotion and will sound like a textbook.

I'm going to agree with a majority of what you said.

However I do suspect that those non-verbally affected by autism are more "locked down" by the mechanics of their body, than those who are able to be more verbal.

I also despite having no evidence, believe in a spirituality of consciousness linked to physical brain structures and through electrical-chemical impulses.

In all paranormal research cases there exists a commonality that electrical devices react to the presence of something.

If one were to postulate the human brain and body as a type of advanced biological organic droid or engine for a spiritual side of a human, then your potentially no different from others except via the body and mind you operate.

Being more verbal than others of the same case, I do agree that many tend to be locked in. Also, I understand the spiritual approach that you make. My ideas on the subject vary differently, but what you say does make sense.

Being more verbal than others of the same case, I do agree that many tend to be locked in. Also, I understand the spiritual approach that you make. My ideas on the subject vary differently, but what you say does make sense.

What do you vary on and why? Can you explain it?

The way I explain it, is that those more effected on the autistic spectrum (and I do believe a spectrum is an appropriate measurement of the conditional state) tend to have neurons that cause "looping", and from an emotional management standpoint as well.

Hence the origin of anxiety, it tends to short-circuit and overwhelm the person to the point where energy needs release, for some physical movements just GO, and for others it's handled more in the emotional-spectrum as irrational and unreasonable thoughts.

In regards to those with Aspergers individuals preferring clear concise rules that too is a preference to avoid the abstract because of the stress of being trapped in the various information processing of the brain.

I also strongly believe that the psychological phenomena of Synesthesia is strongly present for many of those on the Autism Spectrum whether they be verbal, or non-verbal.

But I also believe in neuro-plasticity and that if any individual on the Autistic Spectrum disorder wants to, they can to some degree and with the right tutors and guidance, really learn to grow and at least understand others perspectives at least from a textbook point of view, but personally they may still prefer their way of doing things.

I do not conflict with you when it comes to the scientific diagnosis as to what asperger's syndrome is. I conflict somewhat on the spiritual side of things. However, being that I am still gaining in age (18 as of today) my thoughts on the matter may converge with yours.

I one-hundred percent agree, simply because I am apart of a small council in my school with four autistic people which includes me. One other person has Aspergers like me and I can completely see the difference between myself and the other two with Autism...

"I am Ordis, Ship Cephalon. I serve the Operator. I make new memories."

I don't have Asperger syndrome myself but I do know one person who has a clinical diagnosis and another couple I suspect do have Asperger syndrome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danieldv77

[SIZE="3"]Generally, the average person has an inborn tendancy to associate a certain way with others, which is a trait we lack even when in our early stages we learn how to converse and communicate.

I wonder if we are talking about the same thing but the people I know are generally quite sociable which is, as you say, quite unlike the more severe forms of traditional autism, but sometimes have trouble with "theory of mind", i.e. imagining what the other person in a conversation might be thinking or how that person might react in response to what they do or say. This has lead do doing things and then being genuinely surprised when someone else is really offended or, on the odd occasion, really angry. Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of?

Generally, yes. Allow me to rephrase that- From personal experience, I can easily be sociable, but it's hard to know how another is to react to anything I say. Since I can (and will) come off as blunt sometimes, it no longer really surprises me that some people cannot host effective conversations with me without it turning awkward or argumentive incredibly quickly. Keep in mind, how I think another will react isn't personalized, as I have a hard time discerning how people act, and as such, I talk as if I were talking to a mirror of my own thoughts and feelings. A good example of this is my first girlfriend (now ex) described in my earlier posts- she was willing to try for a relationship, but since my idea of a relationship revolved around truly enjoying a person's existence alongside another rather than getting into lovey-dovey crap all the time, I came off, as she put it, as "More of a friend than anything.", when I truly enjoyed being with her. I use this merely as an example, and leave the rest of it out, mainly because this specific topic isn't the place to discuss how I feel about the event, being that my feelings regarding it have nothing to do with the topic at hand.

No. Autism and Asperger's are the same thing. People with autism do get overloaded by the world. Those with so-called "high-functioning autism" (though functioning labels are often inaccurate) can communicate proficiently. Really, I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what autism is. And I don't think it's fair to insist that one must be an expert in the field to express an opinion.

19/autistic/asexual/INFP
"Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it."

Allow me to explain exactly why I disagree with your statement; Aspergers children are able to develop regularly up to the point to which socialization becomes a part of the learning process, from which aspergers syndrome becomes readily apparent due to lack of social skills, whereas for one with high functioning autism, the learning disability becomes apparent much earlier on. And, to add to a very controversial point, high functioning autism resembles a learning disability in general, whereas aspergers syndrome only truly affects the social aspects of life, the similarity between the two being that they are both overloaded by the world around them, albiet for different reasons.

And, as for the statement regarding one being, as you so oddly put it, "an expert in the field" in order to express an opinion, I did not state so. I said that one needs to have at least some experience in the topic, so that one does not come off as ignorant.

And, as for the last question you might have, the reply is incredibly late because I have been rather busy on my quest to move and find a college that has the right specifications for my degree.

No. Autism and Asperger's are the same thing. People with autism do get overloaded by the world. Those with so-called "high-functioning autism" (though functioning labels are often inaccurate) can communicate proficiently. Really, I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what autism is. And I don't think it's fair to insist that one must be an expert in the field to express an opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danieldv77

Allow me to explain exactly why I disagree with your statement; Aspergers children are able to develop regularly up to the point to which socialization becomes a part of the learning process, from which aspergers syndrome becomes readily apparent due to lack of social skills, whereas for one with high functioning autism, the learning disability becomes apparent much earlier on. And, to add to a very controversial point, high functioning autism resembles a learning disability in general, whereas aspergers syndrome only truly affects the social aspects of life, the similarity between the two being that they are both overloaded by the world around them, albiet for different reasons.

And, as for the statement regarding one being, as you so oddly put it, "an expert in the field" in order to express an opinion, I did not state so. I said that one needs to have at least some experience in the topic, so that one does not come off as ignorant.

And, as for the last question you might have, the reply is incredibly late because I have been rather busy on my quest to move and find a college that has the right specifications for my degree.

Interesting thread. Let me add one important concept:
The only thing that we know for certain, is that we do not know anything.

Meaning, autism is still a medical and psychological mystery. Some doctors think the spectrum should be broadened to include such things as ADHD. Others think it should be divided, rather than trying to include everyone. All of us are different; it is impossible to categorise or generalise.

While the people I know with AS definitely have different characteristics than friends on other parts of the spectrum, I would not be able to really differentiate them... because everyone I know on the spectrum is unique, with different characteristics, and common characteristics are rare.

My own experience fits the 'mystery' concept. I have 18 years of experience with autism, although only 12 of that is post-diagnosis, and even the first two years of diagnosis were "possibly", because it is difficult to tell if a young child is autistic or simply has other issues that will disappear.

The labels in this thread irritate me a bit. I am Level 1 ASD. Which is probably what posters here are thinking of when they say "high-functioning", although the "high-functioning" label is only an opinion, and is applied to autistics of various capabilities, depending on the perception of the viewer/labeler. Prior to the standardisation of terminology, I was diagnosed as PDD-NOS/IMF.

While I am happy that people are open to this topic, and willing to discuss it... I think that we should all avoid absolutes. For absolutes do not exist on the spectrum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danieldv77

I apologize if I come off as blunt, but I am currently in an emotionally neutral state, meaning that my text will literally portray no emotion and will sound like a textbook.

I think I have never seen this emotional state explained so succinctly. Thank you for posting those words, "emotionally neutral state". I have often tried to explain this state to people, and they seldom understand it.

For all intents and purposes, I find that we have the opposite of autism, as instead of having trouble understanding the world around us, it is that our senses are truly overloaded by it, henceforth why we are classified as what we are. That is not to say that autism and aspergers syndrome don't have distinct similarities, but generally (and this is from personal experience) I find that we are quite different from both normal people and autism spectrum afflicted people. To start, the reason why we have distinct similiarities to autism disorder afflicted persons is that we tend to be less expressive than the average person, usually acting less like a normal person when in thought or idly attempting to make conversation. However, a distinct difference is that where autism spectrum afflicted people find it troublesome to associate with others and form understandable thoughts, we can do it just as proficiently as others, albiet with difficulties as well, stemming less from the fact that we can't and more towards the fact that we don't know how to. Generally, the average person has an inborn tendancy to associate a certain way with others, which is a trait we lack even when in our early stages we learn how to converse and communicate. Now, onto what psychology calls a "regular human." Generally, we are different emotionally from baseline humans in that we might be less reactionary than them or we might go emotionally overboard, truly bordering on less of a controlled outburst and more of a psychotic emotional fit. That is not to say that we feel emotion any differently, more that we cannot sufficiently express that emotion on the spot with any normal method of showing it. I apologize for the rant, but being one affected by such a condition, under no circumstances is it to be assumed that we are exactly the same.

Oh, and to add this in the footnotes, don't bother to shame me for distancing the two disorders, this is my take on it as a person afflicted, so if one is truly going to make some sort of counter-argument as to the sameness of the two conditions, please have some sort of experience in the field. I apologize if I come off as blunt, but I am currently in an emotionally neutral state, meaning that my text will literally portray no emotion and will sound like a textbook.

I agree with you completely. If somebody suggested I have autism, I would say that I am certainly not. I do have Asperger's syndrome. I especially don't accept the stigma that comes with Autism and I don't think it correlates with Asperger's syndrome. I'd be inclined to say that Aspergers was put on the Autism spectrum simply to tell people who are really autistic that they can be smart as many successful people have autism. That's just not true. They had Asperger's syndrome. I'd argue that nearly ANYONE that has Asperger's would feel mild to deeply offended when they are categorized with the autistic community.

Before anyone freaks out and goes to say how simmilar they are, I'd tell you to have Asperger's and see how it feels to be group into the autistic community where everyone thinks you are extrordinarily stupid despite the fact that you are extrordinarily smart. I'm not hearing any of the nonsense that they are "pretty much the same thing" because I've met people with legitimate autism. It has little to no simmilarties to Asperger's.